Orum, the AI-powered Live Conversation Platform, has successfully achieved ISO 27001 certification after completing a third-party audit of its data security and privacy protection processes.

The report, compiled by Prescient Security, documents how Orum's data security and privacy procedures meet the ISO 27001 requirements, which is widely considered the international gold standard for information security management.

As a leading enterprise-level SaaS provider, Orum's ISO 27001 certification, along with the previously completed SOC 2 Type II certification, reiterates the company's commitment to proactive compliance. Rolland Miller, Orum's VP of Security and Compliance, said "Information security is an organization-wide commitment at Orum for both our data and our customers' data. By implementing ISO 27001, Orum has demonstrated a commitment to our customers that we will create, maintain, scale, and improve our Information Security Management System (ISMS) to help customers meet complex international privacy and security needs."

The achievement will help Orum expand their services into additional international countries, as they continue to pursue GDPR and other privacy specific international certifications. As Colin Specter, Orum's VP of Sales put it, "We're making investments in our European security and compliance to ensure we are set up to support customers throughout the EU. We look forward to helping sales teams reach more prospects around the world."

 With more than 3 billion phishing emails sent every day, Guardz protects SMEs from the increased risk of this growing attack vector

Guardz, the cybersecurity company securing and insuring SMEs, today announced a new AI-powered Multilayered Phishing Protection solution to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and managed service providers (MSPs) prevent phishing attacks before their security is compromised. The hassle-free and cost effective solution uses AI to provide small businesses and the MSPs that support them with automatic detection and remediation capabilities to protect against phishing attacks – the number one threat they face. By combining email security, web browsing protection, perimeter posture, and awareness culture in one native solution, businesses can now efficiently safeguard against phishing threats, bolstering resilience and future-proofing their systems.

Ninety percent of all cyber attacks are initiated with phishing, which relies on social engineering to prey on human nature. Cybercriminals attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by tricking recipients clicking on malicious links or providing personal information, which can then be used for identity theft, ransomware attacks, or other malicious activities. These attacks can result in data breaches, financial loss, and reputational damage to small businesses and even compromise the security of a business's entire network, leading to the exposure of further confidential information.

Guardz's new Multilayered Phishing Protection: continuously scans for all inbound traffic with its advanced anti-phishing email protection solution; initiates detection through AI-powered anti-phishing and anti-malware engines; removes risky emails from users' inboxes and automatically sends them to quarantine; monitors internet browsing to detect potential phishing attempts and delivers real-time alerts to system admins to enable timely responses; and provides ongoing, active cyber awareness training and tailored phishing simulations for employees, fostering a culture of caution and vigilance. Perhaps most importantly when dealing with phishing, the Guardz solution empowers every employee to behave in ways that support and strengthen the business's cybersecurity posture.

"The proliferation of phishing attack as a service (AaaS) tools sold on the dark web is putting the SME ecosystem increasingly at risk. Our new AI-powered phishing protection solution provides SMEs and MSPs with a holistic and accessible solution to prevent the success of phishing attacks," said Dor Eisner, CEO and Co-Founder of Guardz. "This is a significant addition to Guardz's holistic cyber security offering for small businesses, ensuring that they can react to cyber risks in real time with swift remediations, but also be protected by cyber insurance for complete peace of mind – a true secure and insure approach."

The Multilayered Phishing Protection enables MSPs to provide their SME customers complete protection across all potential phishing attack vectors. It does so by automatically scanning the perimeter posture, inbound email traffic and internet browsing, and by providing ongoing, tailored cyber awareness training and simulation for employees. The platform automatically verifies emails for authentication protocols including Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC), Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and checks for malicious forwarding rules.

VSBLTY Groupe Technologies Corp., a leading software provider of AI-driven security and retail analytics technology, today announced that it has begun to activate a partnership with Shelf Nine and Phoenix Vision to build and manage a national in-store media network that will bring news and advertising via active digital signage technology using artificial intelligence directly to shoppers in retail stores.

The new activations will start in New York and roll out nationally in conjunction with Shelf Nine's more than 4,000 stores and 550 Phoenix Vision venues in Tampa, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Springfield, MA. Initially news and feature content will be provided by the primary daily newspaper in each media market.

VSBLTY has emerged as a leader and advocate for the growing Store as a Medium transformational business model that provides new revenue streams for retailers that recognize that their stores have major value as a "media network." The digital transformation that is now underway in retail has been estimated by Boston Consulting Group to be the next 100-billion-dollar business.

VSBLTY AI technology provides enhanced customer engagement and audience measurement using machine learning and computer vision. Its industry leading VisionCaptor™ and DataCaptor™ software combine motion graphics and interactive brand messaging with cutting-edge computer vision measurement and insights. VSBLTY's AI driven software Vector™ provides enhanced facial recognition that is crucial to strengthening today's security requirements when recognizing weapons or persons of interest in a crowd.

When making the announcement, VSBLTY Co-founder & CEO Jay Hutton said that the national digital screen network is a win for all the media participants, as well as for brands, retailers, major market newspapers and consumers. "What VSBLTY brings to the venture is a long and successful leadership role in Store as a Medium. Our advanced proprietary technology uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to recognize features such as age, gender and emotion of shoppers. The solution provides critical insights into customer demographics and the way they dwell and interact with digital screens of all types, QR codes and other digital content enabling brands to create personalized experiences and learn more insightful information about their customers at the point of sale." Hutton added that VSBLTY's SaaM and AI technology is already being utilized in retail venues in Canada, Mexico and other Latin America countries.

Shelf Nine CEO, Mike Manion said, "We are providing in-store digital experiences for brands with specifically targeted 1:1 communication at the point of purchase. With services for both retailers and advertisers, we recognize how impactful in-store marketing is. Retailers benefit from screens placed in high traffic areas to deliver dynamic content and create an elevated shopper experience."

Charles Cotton, CEO of Phoenix Vision, said, "Together we are uniquely addressing three fundamental needs: the need for newspapers to create additional profitable media and subscription revenue; the need for advertisers to buy media impressions and gain customer demographic analytics in key retail locations; and the need to increase the efficiency of retail stores by utilizing store screens to advertise their own products and services to the proper target audience at the optimal time and location."

tvScientific Receives Global Partner Affiliate Recognition For Value, Innovation

tvScientific, the performance advertising platform for connected TV (CTV), today announced it has been named a Power 100 affiliate partner by global affiliate marketing platform Awin for the second time. tvScientific was selected as one of 100 featured affiliate partners from one million active publishers across 35 countries, including TikTok creators, price comparison sites, niche bloggers, global media powerhouses, cutting-edge technologies, FinTech pioneers and brands. 

Awin’s Power 100 was a first for its industry in 2022, reshaping how affiliate marketers view partnerships. And the results speak for themselves, with the Power 100 collectively generating $4.9 billion in revenue and 55 million sales for more than 8,000 ecommerce retailers in 2022.

The Redefining “Affiliate” category reshapes what it means to be an affiliate today, going beyond the traditional partnerships and altering the perception of what’s possible in the channel. tvScientific was selected by a panel of Awin experts across the business for its innovation and for pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a partner in the affiliate channel. 

“Since its inception, the affiliate and partner marketing channel has provided brands a low-risk, high growth opportunity unique to other marketing strategies thanks to its pay-for-performance model,” said Adam Ross, CEO of Awin. “In a time when a brand’s bottom line has never been under greater scrutiny, affiliate insulates a company’s strategy while enhancing the customer journey and ongoing relationship. This is what makes Awin’s Power 100 so crucial to success – it represents a true slice of the industry today, spanning promotional and partnership opportunities across every consumer touchpoint, from brand-building awareness generators to post-sale customer retention experts. I look forward to seeing how the Power 100 further impacts the affiliate and partner marketing industry in 2023 and beyond.”

“Performance advertising is the very heart of the ad industry, representing 65% of the total $300 billion US ad spend,” said Jason Fairchild, CEO of tvScientific. “This trend toward performance is now disrupting the $70 billion TV industry, and with this recognition from Awin tvScientific looks forward to showing more companies across industries what’s possible with CTV.”

Interpublic Group. ,continues to strengthen its end-to-end commerce offering to drive growth for brands with the launch of its Creative Commerce Labs program. The Labs work to find new and innovative revenue streams for marketers through cross-channel collaboration and partnering with key commerce innovators, such as Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab.

Leading the Creative Commerce Lab is Roald van Wyk, who reports to Jeriad Zoghby, IPG’s Chief Commerce Strategy Officer. Van Wyk was most recently at Accenture Song, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on navigating brand marketing transformations.

“The Creative Commerce Labs were created to help brands navigate the influx of creative commerce challenges that are presented in what we call the ‘commerce everywhere’ world,” said Van Wyk, Creative Commerce Lead. “We see these challenges as positive disruptions in the industry as they provide new canvases for creatives to innovate across media channels, generating significant opportunities for our clients to grow profitable share,” Van Wyk added.

The move builds on the company’s recent investments in the area, such as naming Jeriad Zoghby to oversee commerce strategy for the holding company and its acquisition of RafterOne, a leading global provider of multi-cloud commerce solutions on the Salesforce platform. In addition, Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, the Chief Creative Officer of FCB Canada, was recently named Jury President of Creative Commerce at the upcoming Cannes Festival of Creativity.

“The Creative Commerce Labs program is a powerful accelerator to ensure our clients at FCB and our sister agencies across IPG are leading in commerce – particularly as marketers’ business goals continue to be driven by commerce integration across physical, digital and virtual worlds,” said Nancy Crimi-Lamanna. “This trend isn’t going away, and in launching this program, IPG is ensuring all its companies are well-prepared to continue innovating on new and scalable commerce solutions for their clients,” Crimi-Lamanna continued.

The IPG Commerce Executive Council launched the Creative Commerce Labs. This Council, led by Jeriad Zoghby, oversees all partnerships, investments, strategies, and capabilities related to commerce, ensuring that the entire IPG portfolio leads with a cutting-edge commerce strategy for every client engagement. The group consists of commerce experts from across the holding company.

“The IPG Commerce Executive Council is uniquely positioned to empower our agencies to help brands grow across all channels and moments, accelerating commerce opportunities at every touchpoint for our clients. With our Creative Commerce Labs, we can design first-look creative solutions across the entire communications spectrum. This means we can create seamless experiences that drive better outcomes for customers and brands, no matter where a transaction occurs,” said IPG’s Jeriad Zoghby.

IPG is conducting Commerce Labs with a variety of partners and platforms over the course of the year.

The new feature gives Text Request customers the ability to request, track, and respond to Google reviews seamlessly from Text Request.

 Text Request, the industry-leading business messaging platform, announced today the release of its newest feature, Reviews — a review management solution that enables customers to request, track, and respond to reviews on Google directly from their Text Request dashboard. In addition to simplifying the process of requesting reviews from happy customers, this new feature allows businesses to respond to customer feedback within Text Request, rather than having to navigate through multiple platforms.

"We have mountains of data showing that businesses with more reviews win more customers, and that text messaging is the quickest way to get the most customer engagement," said Kenneth Burke, Vice President of Marketing for Text Request. "Our new Reviews feature brings those two truths together so that businesses can earn, reply to, and manage all of their reviews and feedback inside of Text Request."

How it works:

Account Admins can connect their Google Business page to their Text Request dashboard. Then users can begin embedding custom review links in text messages to customers asking for reviews and private feedback. All public reviews and private feedback will show inside of Text Request, from where users can reply directly to reviews and track conversions over time.

Reviews can be configured to send customized, automated reminders, as well as thank you messages to customers who do submit reviews. It can also collect private messages from customers who do not wish to share their thoughts publicly, or be configured to solicit private feedback only, rather than public reviews.

Businesses can use Reviews to request and manage reviews across multiple Google Business locations from one Text Request account.

In addition to streamlining the review request/response processes, Reviews offers robust analytics and monitoring, including:

• Total number of reviews
• Average rating of reviews per platform, as well as average rating of all reviews
• Number of review requests sent
• Comparison data for organic reviews vs. those requested from Text Request
• A variety of data filtering options, including year-to-date, month-to-date, and custom date ranges

Reviews is an add-on feature available to any Text Request customer.

“We're always trying to give businesses the tools they need to better connect with customers and grow their businesses with less effort," said Rob Reagan, Text Request CTO. "Reviews is another great example of that. Businesses will be able to get more online reviews, more private feedback, and manage all of it with minimal effort. It's a win for businesses and for their customers."

Transforms Process Automation for Business Users

Pipefy, the global industry leader in no-code process automation, today announced the upcoming release of Pipefy AI, a first-of-its-kind technology that combines artificial intelligence with Pipefy’s no-code process management and automation platform. Pipefy AI enhances process management efforts by delivering crucial data insights and accelerating the speed at which processes can be built. The result is better decision-making and greater operational efficiency throughout the enterprise.

Pipefy AI harnesses the power of OpenAI and GPT-4 to enhance data analysis and help teams model and optimize any type of process.

“By combining artificial intelligence with Pipefy’s process management platform, we are taking no-code to the next level and enabling users to access new data analysis and process efficiency features,” said Alessio Alionço, CEO of Pipefy. “In a matter of seconds, Pipefy AI can help business leaders and their teams detect trends, uncover root causes, and automate their processes, easier and faster than ever before.”

With Pipefy AI, users will be able to ask any question about their current processes or data sets and receive an answer in seconds. To complement its data analysis capabilities, Pipefy AI also helps users complete a wide range of previously manual tasks.

Another core component of Pipefy AI is its ability to create custom processes based on the parameters and requirements set by the requester. Its goal is to build the most efficient version of the user’s process for them, every time. Users simply tell the AI what kind of process or workflow they need, what kinds of data they want to collect, and any other characteristics they’d like it to have — Pipefy AI does the rest.

“Pipefy AI demonstrates the evolution of the Pipefy platform to keep pace with changing business needs and advances in technology,” added Alionço. “Pipefy AI fulfills the promise of no-code, which is to make it easier for everyone in the business to work smarter and faster, and make better decisions every day. It’s about providing process optimization capabilities for everyone, so that businesses can achieve process efficiency everywhere.”

Pipefy AI will become available to current Pipefy users in the coming weeks. Those wanting to experience Pipefy AI can join the waitlist to be notified when the features are available.

Suzy, an innovative leader in the consumer market research space, has today announced a partnership with Market Research Institute International (MRII) and its academic partner, the University of Georgia (UGA). Leveraging their industry-leading expertise, Suzy will supercharge its educational offering, Suzy Academy, initiating the partnership with an endorsed course on qualitative research that sets new benchmarks for the industry.

Ed Keller, a member of the Suzy Advisory Board and Executive Director of MRII, identified an opportunity to enhance Suzy Academy and provide new and innovative opportunities to train and educate market researchers. A leading expert in word of mouth, influencer marketing, and consumer insights, Keller anticipates this alliance to yield significant advantages for professionals keen on deepening their insights.

"With our educational content about qualitative research now available through Suzy Academy, market researchers can advance their research skills to greater heights, and allow us to reach even more learners" Keller confidently asserts. "A partnership of this caliber promotes skill augmentation among market researchers, in turn making our industry increasingly expert and their work more impactful."

Suzy Academy, an initiative of Suzy, was launched in 2022 with the mission to make the art and science of market research more accessible, streamlined, and effective. The platform presents a comprehensive learning pathway, covering everything from market research fundamentals and advanced methodologies, to hands-on use cases, best practices, and intricate platform functionality. In partnership with MRII, Suzy Academy now offers market researchers a tangible and prestigious credential to verify their skills and competencies.

"We are excited to join hands with MRII and UGA to continue our efforts to help market researchers upscale their skills," says Katy Emerson, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at Suzy. "As a DIY platform, our objective is to empower our clients to derive the maximum value from their research. We have always believed that market research doesn’t have to be daunting—that's the core reason behind establishing Suzy Academy."

Suzy Academy, freely available to all market research professionals, welcomes anyone interested in consumer insights to register and learn from their diverse courses.

This revolutionary partnership sets a new trajectory for market research education, promising to redefine industry standards.